


Let Go of the Past

by letsgobethots



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/M, Past Relationship(s), Pre-RWBY, Spoilers, Spoilers: Volume 6 (RWBY), volume
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-16
Updated: 2019-01-16
Packaged: 2019-10-11 00:35:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17436485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/letsgobethots/pseuds/letsgobethots
Summary: In the middle of a mission with her team, Blake Belladonna gets ambushed by her former partner, Adam Taurus. Each time they speak, it sends Blake into a whirlwind of memories. She tells Adam to let go of the past, but her mind is still filled with memories of their past, of a time before everything went dark in their lives.





	Let Go of the Past

**“It’s nice to finally have time to ourselves, don’t you think?”**

_The White Fang basecamp was filled with buzzing energy. Blake’s cat ears twitched as the many sounds of celebration rang through them. The White Fang recently had a successful heist mission in the mines; they freed many Faunus who were forced to work there under cruel human authority. She was too young to be involved in the mission, but she was there to keep an eye out. Everyone was important in the mission. Blake and Adam were some of the youngest in the camp. They shared a large tent with eight other members. It could get crowded. In the cold seasons, it was something to overlook, but it’s summer and everyone tried to avoid sharing tents until they had to._

_“Blake?” She turned around to look at Adam. They’ve been partnered up together in every single mission she’s been in, but now he was sixteen and was able to participate with the older members. She smiled in relief to see he came out unharmed from the mission. He didn’t smile back at her. “Can we go somewhere?”_

_“Where do you want to go?” she asked. “The cooks are about to serve dinner, I think it’s going to be some of the best food we’ve had in a long time.” He shook his head lightly and avoided making eye contact with her. Blake frowned at his reaction. She wrapped her arm around his waist and started walking away from all the commotion. They found a quiet place in the outskirts of the camp. Her feline ears were grateful; loud sounds made them sensitive._

_“It’s nice to finally have time to ourselves, don’t you think?” Planning the mission took weeks and it took longer to train everyone and get them ready for the attack. Blake hardly saw Adam during these past few weeks; he was determined to do the best he could. Whenever they had a chance to be together, it was usually during meals or when it was time to sleep. It was hard to have private moments for themselves._

_“Is everything okay?” she asked when they sat on the hard ground. He took off his mask and sighed. They sat side by side, close to each other. In a way, it was to comfort him, but Blake always liked being close to Adam. “Was it the mission?” His face wavered and he broke down into tears. She instantly wrapped her arms around him. “What happened? Talk to me.”_

_“I don’t know what I expected,” he mumbled, harshly wiping away the tears from his face. “But seeing how our people were treated in the mines…”Adam wrapped his arms around Blake and returned the embrace. “It’s horrible. Some are even forced to live down there. No sunlight, barely any food or water, and they’re cramped in these small rooms. I saw children down there, Blake. It just reminded me of…”_

_“Of your years there.” She reached over and placed a hand on his shoulder. “That’s why we’re here, Adam,” she whispered sadly. “So we can change that. We fight for the people who can’t.” She felt him move as he nodded to her statement. “Do you want to go eat?”_

_“I just want to stay here with you.” She smiled and leaned her head back. “I’m hoping I’ll get my own tent if I keep going to missions. If I do good enough. Won’t that be nice?”_

_“You’ll share it with me?” Blake asked and looked up at him. Adam’s radiant smile answered her question._

_“I like spending time with you, Blake.”_

**“Leave me alone!”**

_The market was loud and filled with humans. There were some Faunus here and there, but Blake was mostly on her own. She needed to find food for the camp. She wasn’t stealing it, there were others doing that, she was simply meant to be the distraction. She was told to go to places where humans would reject her publicly. While they were distracted by her, the stealthier Faunus could enter through the back of the store and grab what they needed. It wasn’t the first time Blake had done this, but it was the first time she’d done it on her own._

_Before she could open her mouth to ask for something, an elderly woman was already shooing her away. “Please I have money,” Blake begged and held up a handful of Lien. “I just need something to eat.”_

_“Go grab something from the trash, you filthy animal,” the neighboring store owner snarked at her. Blake’s feline ears flattened against her head in shame. “You know we don’t serve your kind, why do you keep coming back?”_

_“I’m just hungry,” Blake mumbled and hung her head. She took a step forward and tried to offer the Lien again. “I’ll pay double, please.”_

_“Get back, you beast!” he shouted at her. He held a broom in his hand and swung it at her head. Blake crouched down and tried to protect her head from any other hits. The store owners came out to the street and started hitting her with a variety of items. Some threw rocks at her, others kept hitting her with brooms and mops. Someone reached over and painfully tugged at her cat ears._

_“Leave me alone!” she cried, tears already pooling out of her eyes. She clamped her hands down over her ears to protect them, but they kept pushing them away to rip her ears off. She shut her eyes and told herself she was doing this for a reason. She didn’t see him come, but when a store owner cried out in pain, she knew Adam had come to help her. He grabbed her arm and together they ran off. She was still crying by the time they returned to the camp._

_“I’m going to let them hear a piece of my mind,” Adam growled as he pulled Blake into his arms. “Who do they think they are? Why did you agree to do this, Blake?” She buried her head in his shirt. “You can’t let yourself be the victim.” He held her face in his hands as he inspected her cuts and bruises. “You’re a fighter.”_

_“I was just trying to help,” she muttered. “If I didn’t volunteer to do it, they would have asked younger recruits to take my place and I didn’t want a child to go through what I have to go through.” Adam sighed and shook his head._

_“You’re not a child, you should be fighting,” he grumbled as he wiped her tears away._

_“I’m fourteen, I can’t fight with you. They wouldn’t let me. Especially if my father found out.” Adam reached over and gently touched her ears. Blake flinched at his touch even though it was barely there. “They hurt, Adam, please stop.” He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. “I’m sorry I agreed to it.”_

_“You thought you were doing what is best. I’ll give them a piece of my mind. That was out of line. Wait till your father hears about this.”_

**“But I’ve waited so long for you to be away from them.”**

_“Adam!” Blake called out. “Come join the celebration!” She tried to tug him towards the dancing Faunus, but he stayed planted on the bench. “Adam? What’s wrong?”_

_“There’s nothing to celebrate,” he mumbled. She frowned at his response. It was hard to read his face with his mask on. “Forget it. You wouldn’t understand, you don’t know what it’s like to be in the missions. To actually be involved in them.”_

_“That’s hardly fair,” she scoffed and crossed her arms across her chest. “I turn sixteen in a couple of months. I’ve been trying to join the missions ever since you taught me how to fight but they won’t let me. You know I’ve been trying.”_

_“Clearly you’re not trying hard enough.” He stood up and walked towards the forest. Blake stomped her foot in frustration._

_“At least take your weapon so I’ll know you’ll be safe!” she shouted after him. He ignored her and walked deeper into the forest. Blake watched him blend into the darkness before joining the other Faunus. Another successful heist. More Faunus had been freed from the entrapment of the dust mines. Hundreds of people were released from the terrible working conditions. Blake wanted to be as happy as she was before her mild argument. She snuck around with her friend Illia and took some of the drinks the adult Faunus were drinking._

_The taste was bitter in her mouth, but she pushed past it and soon found herself giggling. Someone started playing music and soon she and Illia were dancing along and having a good time. Other Faunus joined and soon everyone was having a good time. She kept throwing her head around in hopes of finding Adam, but she never saw him in the crowd. Sometimes she caught a flash of red from her peripheral vision, but she never saw Adam._

_Blake didn't want to leave her friends, but she needed to catch her breath and cool off. She walked out of the camp and leaned against a tree. The leaves were red as always, even in the moonlight they shone brightly. She was getting ready to head back when someone covered her mouth and dragged her deeper into the forest. She struggled against her attacker, but in her condition, she could barely land a few hits._

_“Let go of me!” she cried out when the hand was removed. Blake fell on the ground and looked up to find Adam glaring down at her._

_“But I’ve waited so long for you to be away from them.” He sat on the ground across from her. “I didn’t want to interrupt your fun with your friends.” Blake rolled her eyes in response. “Are you mad at me?”_

_“Mad at you?” she shrieked. “Of course I am! It seems lately all you want to do is pick fights with me!”_

_“I’m sorry, Blake.” She paused from the rant already forming in her mind. Adam rarely apologized. “These harder missions have been giving me a toll and I don’t know how long I can last keeping it all bottled inside.” Blake sighed and leaned back on the ground. It was the middle of the night and the stars were shining as bright as ever. “I do what I do so you can have fun. I want you to enjoy the time you have of innocence. But sometimes I get frustrated because I have to work with Faunus I don’t know. You know you’re the only one I trust.”_

_“Come here.” Adam laid by her side. She rested her head on the crook of his arm and smiled at him. “You’re an idiot.” He smiled back at her. “When I’m old enough I’ll be there for you. And I know you’ll be there for me. You always have been.” Adam rubbed her kitten ears between his fingers. She giggled slightly and scooted closer to him._

_“I’ll always be there for you. Even if you don’t know it.”_

**“Why did you have to come into my life and ruin everything!”**

_“I can’t believe you were stupid enough to disobey orders!” Blake was hidden in the treeline. Adam was being interrogated and scolded by the three lieutenants that ran this branch of the White Fang. Adam was down on one knee and had his head down in shame. “You were specifically instructed to stop training the Belladonna girl.”_

_“Her name is Blake and she wants to fight.” A small smile formed on her face at Adam’s response, but her concern was still there. The moonlight shone brightly against his white mask._

_“Her father says so otherwise! She is not supposed to fight or join missions.” Adam kept his head down, but it was getting harder to control his anger. “She’s not even of fighting age yet!”_

_“She turns sixteen in a week!” Adam finally snapped. “She’s free to make her own choice, and she wants to fight! I took her with me to the mission so she would know what it is like!”_

_“That is not your decision to make!” Adam held his tongue. “You are no longer allowed to go on missions. Not until you prove yourself worthy enough to follow our orders.” Blake tried to stop herself from gasping; they didn’t know she was watching them and she didn’t want to give Adam any more trouble. The lieutenants returned to camp while Adam stayed behind._

_“Come out, Blake, I know you were listening.” She dropped down from the branch and landed in front of Adam. “Did you know about your father’s requests?”_

_“What? Of course not!” She crossed her arms angrily. “He can’t just tell me what to do!” Adam placed a hand on her shoulder and sighed._

_“Of course he can. He’s your father and he used to be our High Leader. He may have stepped down, but he still holds influence.” Blake’s ears flattened in shame._

_“It’s my fault,” she muttered. “I shouldn’t have asked you to do that. It was stupid of me and now I put you in trouble with them.” Adam sighed and pulled her into a hug._

_“Why did you have to come into my life and ruin everything?” he gently teased her. He rested his chin on her head and sighed. “Blake, the only time I’ve ever defied my orders was for you. I don’t trust anyone here to keep you safe while I’m in my missions. I don’t care that I got in trouble, they’ll come begging for me soon. It’s hard to replace me.” A smile cracked on her face and she held on tighter to Adam’s body._

_“At least I’ll get to have more time with you,” she jokingly said and poked his side. “Let’s go back to your tent. Hopefully, they aren’t cruel enough to take that away from you. It’s been nice just sharing the tent with you and not a million people.”_

**“You stalked me across Anima. I don’t want anything to do with your life!”**

_“Blake, you have a responsibility to the White Fang.” She rolled her eyes and kept reading her book. “Blake,_ listen _to me.”_

_“What do you want me to say, Ghira?” Her father stared at her with a flabbergasted expression. “I go where you tell me to go. After all, I need to follow your orders right?”_

_“Young lady, I don’t know what you_ think _you’re trying to do, but you need to get your act together.” Blake tossed her book aside and faced her father._

_“I want to fight! Why won’t you let me?” Ghira growled and started pacing around._

_“It’s dangerous!” he shouted at her for the millionth time. “I’ve had this argument before, it’s not safe anymore.”_

_“I was safe with Adam! It’s been dangerous before, he’s always been there by my side.” A door opened and her mother walked in. “I’m not a little kid anymore. You let me do things when I was a little kid!”_

_“Blake, please lower your voice,” Kali pleaded, ducking her Faunus ears slightly. Blake looked away from her parents._

_“The Belladonna family has to stick together. We’re a stronger force together.” Ghira stood up and towered over her daughter. Blake was at least a head shorter than her father, but she still stared at him will all the defiance she could muster._

_“You’re cowards for leaving the way you did.” Ghira gaped at his daughter. “I’m not helping anyone by standing at your say while you deliver stupid speeches to Faunus in different cities. I want to free our people from the hatred the humans bind us to. I’m tired of doing nothing.”_

_“You can’t stop hate on your own,” Kali told Blake quietly. “And you can’t hate us for wanting to keep you safe. We each have to play our part. Violence is not always going to get you the result you want.” Blake crossed her arms and kept her mouth shut. “Pack up your things, we’re leaving for the next town in a few hours.”_

_Blake returned to her room but didn’t pack. She sulked in bed and tried calling Adam. Despite being separated for months, Blake tried her best to call him every day. He was torn up when her parents picked her up at the White Fang base camp they were in at the time. Illia tells her that he acts out sometimes or lashes out at Faunus who don’t do their job properly. She would normally be there to calm him down, but now no one tried to get between him and his anger._

_Someone knocked on her door. “Go away!” she shouted and tossed her scroll aside when Adam didn’t answer. The knocking persisted. “I don’t want to talk to either of you!” A final harsh pound on the door caused her to jump. She threw the door open and was ready to scream at her parents. She stopped when her eyes landed on someone else._

_“Adam,” she whispered in shock. Her lips formed a wide smile and she threw herself in his arms. Adam chuckled slightly and returned her embrace. “What are you doing here?”_

_“Do you really think anything could keep me away from you? I’ve been following you around., seeing the speeches you give with your father. If I didn’t know you so well, I would have believed what you were saying.”_

_“You stalked me across Anima,” she scoffed and slightly shoved him away. “Why didn’t you come up to me? I’ve missed you.”_

_“I’ve missed you, too, Blake. It’s why I’m here. I had to say goodbye properly.” Blake pulled away from his hold to stare at him._

_“Goodbye? Why would you need to say goodbye to me?” she asked quietly. “My parent’s aren’t stopping me from talking to you.”_

_“That’s the problem, Blake. I don’t just want to have this one-sided relationship with you, I want to be with you at all times. If I can’t have you at all times, then I don’t want to pretend to be happy whenever we call each other.”_

_“That’s not fair,” Blake answered while shaking her head. “How dare you come here and say that? I don’t want anything to do with your life. Not if you’re going to treat me like this.” Adam took off his mask and sighed. Blake faltered when she saw the scar across his eyes. “You can’t just leave me and pretend we don’t have a bond.”_

_“Then run away with me.” Blake blinked away the tears forming in her eyes. “I’m going to be stationed in Vale soon. Come with me.”_

**"Let go of the past, Adam. Do it for yourself."**


End file.
